Vol103iss3

Volume 103, Issue 3 Monday, September 16, 2013

Indoctrinating first years since 1911 mcgilldaily.com

Published by The Daily Publications Society, a student society of McGill University.

page 9

McGill’s Campus Community Radio Station

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Excuse the News: A chat with Suzanne Fortier

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News 03 NEWS

A chat with the new principal

The McGill Daily

3

Monday, September 16, 2013

New principal sits down with The Daily

Suzanne Fortier talks budget cuts, feminism, and McGill’s role in Quebec

SSMU’s first meeting

Molly Korab | The McGill Daily

McGill profs discuss Charter of Values Egyptian student talks grievance against prof Montreal Council of Women holds first meeting How accessible is Frosh?

A look at drinking culture and Frosh

08 COMMENTARY

The glorification of being busy

09 FEATURES

Let’s talk about race

12

SCI+TECH

Warning labels and climate change Decrypting DNA Teaching kids to code Discovering Trisomy 21

14

SPORTS

Loving a (very bad) team

15

HEALTH & ED

Sustainable humanitarianism

16 CULTURE

Anti-oppressive rock for teen girls Lecture from a “starchitect” Sawada plays dress-up St. Henri’s place in history Album reviews

19 EDITORIAL 20 COMPENDIUM! McGill ratings drop, portal to hell appears Advice for New Rez couple

Robert Smith | The McGill Daily

O

n Wednesday, September 11, McGill’s new principal Suzanne Fortier sat down with The Daily for a 20-minute interview on her new role at the University. McGill’s Director of Internal Communications Doug Sweet also added comments in the interview.

The McGill Daily: Last interview, we asked our former principal [Heather Munroe-Blum] if she considered herself to be a feminist. Do you?

Suzanne Fortier: Yes, well I consider myself to be very committed to equality among genders. If that’s a definition of feminism, then yes, I am. I also think that cultural changes are important and they take some time. I think it’s as important when we [want] to make significant changes in society – as we have in the whole topic of equality of men and women – that we know that it’s not going to happen overnight, and that’s there’s a certain level of tolerance and understanding. But I certainly believe in the equality of men and women.

MD: You stated that you would be taking a lower paycheck than the previous principal.

Are administrators also taking a lower salary?

SF: Yes, other administrators have all taken a 3 per cent cut and also freeze. And as long as the freeze is on, their salary will be frozen.

MD: Is yours also a 3 per cent salary cut?

SF: My contract is not finalized yet, not because there’s any disagreement, but because there’s some technicalities that have to occur. [...] As soon as it is finalized and signed, it will be made public. What I can tell you is that in the details it is significantly different, because we wanted to make it a more simplified document.

MD: McGill has recently slipped in international rankings, which has obviously prompted concern from some members of McGill and the post-secondary community.

How do you feel about this slip in rankings, and do you feel that it shines light on a bigger

problem at McGill?

SF: As you know, I’m a scientist, so I can tell you that these rankings are, of course, not a scientific exercise. There’s a very large margin of error. And so a slip from 18 to 21 is not very significant. [...] However, we certainly know which direction we’d like to move, and it’s certainly not this direction. [...] What I feel is that these rankings, while not highly accurate, nevertheless help you. They help you in particular with a lot of very good data, not necessarily very precise, but nevertheless data that you can mine, and start to learn, not only about yourself, but about the current environment of higher education – this incredible race for talent that we’re seeing all over the world. So we need to be aware of that and see the trends and learn from them.

There’s a perverse side to the rankings, and that is that they could lead to all universities being clones of each other, which is not a good environment for higher education. A good higher education sector should offer different opportunities – different environments for their students. I do think that McGill has some pretty unique characteristics, and we want to protect those. That’s what is at the foundation of our strengths, those unique characteristics. So, we must be careful not to, as they say, “study for the exam,” but really take advantage of the data to learn about how the whole higher education system is evolving around the world.

MD: But regardless, people are nervous about that slip.

SF: Yes, yes, yes, I know people may be nervous, even though it’s not significant. It’s out there, and most people don’t have the time to do a more thorough analysis, so the first impression is that it has slipped. [...] Our “total mark” is the same as last year. So we haven’t slipped at all in the total mark. It’s just that a few others have gotten a little bit ahead of us. I think it is actually a good representation of the environment we’re in. It is a very

competitive environment at the global level.

MD: You’ve previously expressed concern about the poor faculty-to-student ratio at McGill. With budget cuts, and with recent cuts to Arts courses that will see smaller courses, such as seminars, cut, how do you plan on improving this ratio?

SF: Across Canadian universities, they’re seeing an increase in student-faculty ratio. And that includes McGill, although McGill continues to have one of the lower student-faculty ratios across the country. It’s a difficult issue for us, because as you probably know [...] we’ve had to absorb [budget cuts] on a very short notice, and there’s been a freeze [on] hiring. But I think that one thing that we need to remember is that, in the past, the focus at McGill was to increase the number of faculty members, and substantial gains have been made. So for us, I think the question is when we will be able, financially, to return to what was and still is a very important goal for this university.

MD: But how do you plan actually improving that ratio – do you have a tangible plan of action?

SF: Well, you know, there’s not a whole lot of ways to do that but to hire more professors. [...] And unfortunately, I would say, but that’s a reality, the only way you can do it is through investment. We’ve been through a tough period.

I should say, I come from outside of Montreal, and I hear a lot of the concerns about the financial cuts and so on. People should remember that it’s not unique to McGill; it’s not unique to this province. [...] I think that we’re starting to see signs that the economy will be recovering, so we hope that once that happens – the commitment that I’ve seen in this country, in this province, to higher education and research, will translate into additional investments. But through the crisis, it’s been very hard for any government to make those kinds of investments.

(Continued on Page 4)

The McGill Daily

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News

Monday, September 16, 2013

(Continued from Page 3) MD: One of the bigger problems stemming from the budget cuts has involved the restructuring and slashing of library services.

Students have lost 24-hour access to the libraries, the laptop lending program, and of course, the Life Sciences Library has now moved to the Schulich Library of Science and Engineering. Can students expect to regain some of these services?

SF: I should say at the outset that one of the particular circumstances of these cuts is that we did not have a lot of time to plan.

They were not expected by most universities, so this came as a surprise. And then, here, in order to deal with the cuts we had a voluntary retirement program. [...] This is a transition period right now, people have left and reorganization will have to take place. There will be, or there already is, consultation with the students. We want to know where are the pressure points, what are the areas that we need to attend to as soon as possible. The Deputy Provost [Student Life and Learning] and the Dean of Graduate Studies will be involved. [...] But this certainly is a transition period that we will hopefully get out of as soon as possible. But it is inevitable.

MD: I would wager that one of those issues would be 24-hour access.

SF: Yes, I have heard about this, and I know students would like to have that. Of course, I’m new, as you know, so I don’t know

all the details. I can imagine that involves more than the staff in the library to offer the service, but also some level of security. So it’s not just a small group of people here, you need to offer access to the library in a safe and secure environment.

MD: That actually leads into my next question, which is that closing 24-hour library access has a lot to do with saving money on support staff, like cleaning and security who are typically there during the night.

Combined with the wage and hiring freeze for non-unionized workers, which isn’t really good news for employees, how has the administration accommodated non-academic staff in the wake of budget cuts?

SF: There are many different groups in the non-academic staff. Some of them have seen their wages frozen, other groups [haven’t], so we can’t put them all in the same group. [...]

No one had a reduction but it was a salary freeze, they have been affected by the higher number of people who had to take voluntary retirement, I believe, although I’m not 100 per cent sure of that. So it is different, there are different groups of employees on campus. [...] Without the voluntary retirement, we would have had collective dismissals.

MD: The new bike gates have been criticized for making campus more inaccessible and, quite frankly, failing to deter bikers. Why won’t the University put in bike lanes?

SF: I can’t say I know the answer to that

[chuckles]. You know, I’ve had to learn a lot about McGill and bike lanes, while important, are not at the top of my learning agenda. But that is a good question. I’m not sure, to be honest. I walked a lot on campus in the summer months. I’m not sure that many of the paths I have taken would be able to accommodate bike lanes. But I can’t tell you for sure, because I haven’t thought of it in that way.

MD: One of the large parts of your role is that of the university’s official spokesperson. How do you think the university’s image has been damaged in recent years? And do you see the university’s image as that of a “brand�?

SF: I think McGill has an incredible brand. [...] I don’t think that it’s been damaged; in Canada and around the world, it’s extremely strong.

I think part of my own personal goal is to make that brand even stronger here at home, because I know that among the French population, McGill is still viewed not as their own university. I think it’s very important that the French part of the population sees McGill as their own, that they have the pride and the joy of having such an institution here – in Montreal, in their province.

And they’ve had a role to play in that, even if they didn’t come to the university. It grew here.

Its history is anchored in Quebec. [...] I’m hoping that the brand of McGill, particularly among the French population, will increase, and they’ll see it as an incredible bridge and launching pad to connecting with the world. Because McGill is

connected to the world.

MD: How do you see your role, then, as a francophone and a native Quebecoise, here at McGill? What do you think you can bring to the table?

SF: Yes, well you know, I wasn’t hired just because I’m a francophone [laughs]. But I think that part of my role, as I said, is to increase the brand and the visibility of McGill amongst the French population – to increase the sense of ownership and pride in this university.

MD: What about vice-versa – for McGill students who are in Quebec, and who may feel distanced from Quebec culture?

SF: Well, you know, I think that [there’s] always an incredible richness to learn about other cultures. I’m hoping that students who come here from everywhere in the world will be able to take advantage of this incredible city, where you have two major cultures living side-by-side – sometimes with some little friction, but really two different cultures that have learned well to live together, to appreciate each other. There’s a lot of enjoyment in learning about a culture. And of course Montreal is a city of many cultures; that is also a thrill. I’m hoping that students will take advantage of this incredible environment.

This interview has been edited for space and clarity. A longer version appeared on The Daily’s website on Wednesday, September 11.

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The McGill Daily

News

5

Monday, September 16, 2013

First SSMU meeting of the year

Mental health, representation of student associations both discussed Lauria Galbraith & Dana Wray

T

he Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held their first Legislative Council meeting of the year on Thursday, discussing representation at the provincial level as well as the improvement of mental health services at McGill.

TaCEQ speaks on reform and accreditation SSMU’s first guest speakers both came from its external student lobbying representation, the Table de concertation étudiante du Québec (TaCEQ). Both TaCEQ’s Secretary-General, Paul-Antoine Cardin, and Vice Secretary-General Internal and Communications, Guillaume Fortin, spoke at Council.

After trying and failing to work with several other student federations, SSMU joined TaCEQ – in English, the Quebec Student Roundtable – in 2009. TaCEQ’s primary role is to lobby the government on issues such as university funding, legislation on tuition and ancillary fees, and other issues regarding higher education.

Although there are several characteristics that set TaCEQ apart from other associations – such as optional fees, a lack of a self-interested and centralized executive, and non-partisanship regarding provincial politics – it has faced criticism in the past from SSMU councillors. Cardin explained at the meeting that reform was one of TaCEQ’s main and most immediate long-term goals.

Although a congress was scheduled for October to discuss the possibility of reforming TaCEQ, Cardin claimed it was cancelled

after the Association des étudiantes et des étudiants de Laval inscrits aux études supérieures (ÆLIÉS) – the graduate student association at Université Laval – claimed that they were not given enough time to think about it.

Cardin said that the biggest problem TaCEQ faced was how to represent their 70,000 members when “people don’t feel that they’re members of TaCEQ.” The TaCEQ speakers also discussed their upcoming defense of the Act respecting the accreditation and financing of students’ associations. This past January, Université Laval students Laurent Proulx and Miguael Bergeron challenged the Act, criticizing the mandatory student association fees and perceived monopoly of student associations in Quebec. Instead, Proulx and Bergeron argued, students should be allowed to opt out of the fees and membership of the associations.

TaCEQ will go to trial in defense of the Act – because it “lets [TaCEQ] exist,” according to Cardin – along with the provincial government and the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ), another major student union.

The date of the trial has not yet been set.

Committee on mental health aims to connect disparate groups and services VP University Affairs Joey Shea presented a motion to convene an ad-hoc committee – meaning it would exist for only a year – on mental health. The committee, under

Khoa | Photographer VP Shea’s portfolio, would be composed of councillors, student executives, students-atlarge, as well as representatives from different groups on campus.

“The idea behind the motion was that, right now, there’s a bunch of different mental health groups at SSMU and McGill that are working at similar aims, but are not necessarily connected to each other, or [are not] working well together or efficiently,” Shea said.

To “help make the mental health community stronger,” in Shea’s words, the committee’s end goal would be to draft a mental health policy by the end of the academic year.

According to Shea, improving mental health services at McGill was a key priority of all of the recent campaigns of the current SSMU executive. The committee was created after the motion passed unanimously.

McGill professors react to Quebec’s Charter of Values Professors criticize Charter’s move to ban religious symbols for public workers Cem Ertekin | The McGill Daily

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s Quebec unveiled its newly-proposed and highly controversial Charter of Values this week, McGill professors have voiced serious concern with the Charter, and plan to stage demonstrations against the proposed plan in the upcoming week.

On September 10, the Parti Québécois (PQ) revealed its Charter of Quebec Values, which would amend the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms to ban the wearing of “conspicuous” religious symbols by public-sector employees, with the exception of small pieces of jewelry.

Along with judges, police, prosecutors, public daycare workers, teachers, school employees, hospital workers and municipal personnel, university employees might be affected by the proposed charter – though universities have the option to “opt out” of the requirements, subject to renewal every five years.

Notably, in an interview with the McGill Tribune on September 12, new principal Suzanne Fortier neglected to say whether McGill would opt out of the Charter’s requirements.

Political Science professor Catherine Lu is among many McGill professors who are concerned with the proposed Charter. She also noted the futility of the opt-out option.

“McGill should not opt out, in the case that the Charter is passed,” she said. “By opting out or asking for an exemption, one is fating others to still an injustice. It makes us complicit in enabling the injustice.”

“A liberal democratic society should respect individuals’ fundamental freedoms and right to expression of religion,” she continued.

On the same day that the Charter was unveiled, Lu and Professor Marie-Joëlle Zahar of the Université de Montréal sent out a letter to their colleagues “calling on all educators and members of the public service to reflect on the fundamentally unjust, incoherent, self-defeating and dangerous nature of the proposed Charter.”

Lu and Zahar’s initiative calls for all educators to adopt and wear visible religious symbols of their choosing in classes and lectures during a Week of Action, starting on September 12.

Some professors participating in the Week of Action noted a perceived unconstitutional or discriminatory undercurrent behind the Charter.

“I think it is a form of institutionalized discrimination that essentially prohibits entire groups of people – those whose religious beliefs involve visible symbolism like a turban, kippa, or hijab – from employment in the public sector,” said Political Science professor Rex Brynen in an e-mail to The Daily. Brynen said that he will be participating in the Week of Action.

“I am vehemently opposed to it, as I think is the overwhelming majority of the McGill community,” continued Brynen.

Others pointed to the need for privacy from an overbearing state.

“I don’t think it’s a matter where I should be reporting directly to a department of the provincial government. That really chills me,” said Religious Studies professor Ian Henderson.

Ellen Aitken, Dean of the Faculty of Religious Studies, says that the purpose behind the Charter is to further a policy of “narrow

secularization” of Quebec, by excluding religion completely from the public sphere.

“This should be contrasted with a rich secularism in which a plurality of religious traditions are valued as a part of the pluralism of the state, but where the state is not aligned or supportive of any single religious tradition,” Aitken said in an interview with The Daily.

Others echoed the need to recognize a diversity of faiths, traditions, and beliefs across the population.

“I could look at it and say, I don’t think it makes much of a difference for me, if I don’t wear visible symbols. […] But if I love my neighbours as myself, I want them to have a reasonable chance to have a pious, faithful life as they would understand it,” said Religious Studies lecturer Jon Waind.

“It is unclear to me whether I am a government employee,” Henderson later said.

“I have never thought of myself, until this week, as an employee of the state who reports to the state about my individual dress habits. If it has come to that, what else do I report to the state?”

The McGill Daily

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News

Monday, September 16, 2013

STM drivers call for better safety on the job Union calls for cameras to be installed on late night buses Trevor Chinnick & Emma Noradounkian | News Writers

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n a campaign that started September 2, bus drivers of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) began wearing t-shirts stating “notre sécurité, votre sécurité” (“our security, your security”), in support of their campaign to shed light on the increasing number of attacks on late night bus routes this year.

STM bus drivers are unionized under the Syndicat des chauffeurs d’autobus de la STM, which is a part of the larger Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique (SCFP). The union’s campaign aims to pressure their employer into installing cameras in buses across the city to provide for a safer service at night.

Stéphane Lachance, the main spokesperson for the union, told The Daily in French, “Installing cameras in buses is a way of preventing assaults from occurring. The goal is to install them in all buses that circulate after 11 p.m. since all attacks take place after that time.”

In 2006, the STM initiated the Sécuribus program in an effort to provide better safety

for bus drivers and their clients. One of the promised measures to prevent assaults included cameras in buses.

Despite the STM’s efforts, Lachance was skeptical of the program. “The [Sécuribus] program did not diminish the number of assaults on buses.” He continued, “In fact, in 2013, we are headed towards a total of 300 attacks, which is huge.”

A highly publicized attack on April 24 became one of the most significant events leading up to the movement, according to Lachance. The Service de la police de la ville de Montréal’s (SPVM) media relations communication officer, Anna-Claude Poulin, revealed a detailed report of the incident to The Daily. “Arriving at the corner of Fairmount Avenue, the driver [of the 363 bus] passes the bus stop’s shelter in which the three men were standing and stops a few feet away from them. The three men, dissatisfied with the bus driver’s conduct, get on the bus and insult him.”

After insulting the driver, the men proceeded to physically assault him.

Despite cameras already installed on that particular bus, Lachance said there is a long way to go.

“Currently, the STM has equipped 900 out of 1,600 buses with cameras. And they simply need to install cameras in 500 of the remaining buses to provide for a safer service at night.”

“The bus driver who had gotten assaulted on that night was not able to go back to work again,” Lachance continued. “Also, the cameras allowed [us] to catch and arrest the attackers. You can now understand the effectiveness of [having] a camera [in a bus at night].”

The accompanying YouTube video of the assault “Le SPVM recherche trois suspects qui ont agressé un chauffeur d’autobus,” with almost 60,000 total views, catalogued the incident.

According to Lachance, the union is fighting for more than just the safety of its bus

drivers; the safety of the public is of primary concern as well. “If the bus drivers are safe, the passengers of their bus will also be safe.”

The union is adamant that it will continue with its movement for as long as necessary.

“As long as all the buses of the STM are not equipped with cameras, the bus drivers will continue to wear the t-shirt that denounce[s] the fact that there are no cameras present in the buses for [the safety of ] the employees and the citizens,” said Lachance.

Lachance placed the blame on the STM. “If they [the STM] would have installed cameras in the night buses to ensure the security of the bus drivers and their passengers, we would not have begun this strike.” He also remarked, “They won’t do anything about it. It is a lack of willingness on their part.”

The SPVM declined to comment on the union’s campaign to prevent violence against STM bus drivers.

Montreal Council of Women holds year’s first general meeting Focus on need for accessible transportation for elders Nina Jaffe-Geffner & Anna Marchese | News Writers

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n anticipation of its 120th anniversary in November, the Montreal Council of Women (MCW) held its first General Meeting of the year on September 12. The MCW is a nonpartisan coalition aimed at improving social conditions for women within the city. Consisting of 70 organizations and more than 80 members, the meeting stressed a need to connect with the younger generation of Montreal on the subject of accessible transportation.

Maya Cerda, the Convener of Transportation for the Council, explained that the lack of mobility-oriented services remains one of the most pressing issues facing Montreal’s elderly population. Cerda highlighted challenges such as the lack of benches at bus stops, a shortage of senior shuttles, and the short timespan of traffic lights.

“We need to increase the safety and security of public transportation for our more vulnerable populations,” Cerda said at the panel. “Some bus stops have benches, but most do not. Some metros have elevators, but most do not.”

According to Cerda, this year has seen a 7 per cent increase in demand for the STM’s adapted transportation services. Adapted transportation, or paratransit, offers public transit service by reservation for those considered “a person with a deficiency caused by a significant and persistent disability (impairment), who is liable to encounter barriers in

performing everyday activities,” according to the STM website.

“Despite this increase in demand for the service, we see at the same time an unprecedented 25 per cent increase of cases refused,” said Cerda.

Road crossings were also brought up at the panel, where the time allotted to crossing often does not bode well for senior citizens with limited mobility.

“We need longer red lights, especially at major intersections, and better management of circulation around crossings,” said Cerda.

“Even pavement in the middle of a large artery can make a difference.”

The MCW brings its concerns to municipal candidates in Montreal, but reports having seen few results. One of the issues brought up at the meeting was the disconnect between young councillors and the aging population.

“We want municipal candidates to be educated on some of the priority issues of seniors,” said Karen Urtnowski, the MCW’s community organizer. “Still, we have a disappointing response from borough politicians.

Over and over again I see how many of our city councillors are young and oblivious of what it is like to be old, or have back problems, or arthritis in your hands.”

Some members recounted their experiences with public transportation, particularly

Tamim Sujat | Photographer the challenge of bus seating.

“A very common problem with taking the bus is the lack of seating near the entrance.

A common fear for elderly people is of falling when the bus lurches forward and you haven’t had the chance to sit down yet,” explained Urtnowski.

The MCW hopes the barrier of understanding between younger city councillors and seniors will be reduced once Montreal’s

youth and elderly population begin to work together to improve conditions of accessibility.

“Accessibility isn’t just about wheelchairs and wheelchair ramps,” Urtnowski said. “We have a long way to go before public transportation is truly accessible.”

The next MCW meeting will be held October 3 and will discuss upcoming initiatives for women’s history month.

The McGill Daily

News

7

Monday, September 16, 2013

Is Frosh accessible?

Dana Wray | The McGill Daily

W

hen you think about accessibility, said Tanja Beck, the Access Services Advisor at the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), “it’s a different way of thinking [...] You have to wrap your mind around [potential] barriers in the environment.”

For many, Frosh is a time for fun, meeting new friends, and getting acquainted with a new city and university. However, for other students, Frosh and other orientation events can be a series of barriers.

Attempts to reform Frosh are numerous, and have been addressed many times. So what kind of progress has been made on ensuring Frosh is accessible to those with physical or financial limitations?

Physical accessibility According to Beck, 3 per cent of the McGill student population has a physical disability registered with the OSD. Although there are not any clear statistics on how many students with physical disabilities participated in Frosh this year, official Frosh policy aims to be broadly inclusive.

First-years who participate in Frosh and who have a physical disability often choose to tell the coordinators personally, in addition to the online registration option given ahead of time. Sahil Kumar, VP Internal of the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS), told The Daily in an interview that out of 1005 participants in SUS Frosh, only one had a physical impairment – and they were able to participate in all of the activities.

To increase physical accessibility, Kumar said that he and his colleagues made sure, when first checking out the venues for night events, that they “were all wheelchair-accessible, that they all had elevators and escalators [...] we made sure that [stu-

dents] could get to the venue easily as well.”

Beck emphasized the importance of being proactive in integrating accessibility into Frosh. “We slowly want to decrease [the] amount of individual accommodations that we need to make for students, because if you think of accessibility right from the start and build it in, there’s less and less need.”

Beck gave the example of a visually impaired student who participated in Frosh several years ago. According to Beck, Frosh coordinators had not thought ahead about possible barriers, and the OSD was eventually left to hire an attendant.

According to SSMU VP Internal Brian Farnan, the OSD and Frosh coordinators worked together closely to help ensure that no students were left out of Frosh activities, regardless of physical ability. “We had two students who actually needed to use a wheelchair […] As soon as we figured this out, we were in touch with the OSD [who were] an awesome resource the whole week. [...] Both students got to participate, which was great,” Farnan said.

“Physical disability is definitely the first step that has to be taken to make the university accessible,” Beck said, but she also added that the next step was to think of students with invisible disabilities, including chronic diseases or mental health problems.

“Frosh should be as inviting as possible to the whole diversity of students,” said Dorthe Eriksson, an Access Service Advisor at the OSD.

Angela Yu | Illustrator

expense. In fact, even out of those students who participated in a faculty Frosh, 34 per cent of students “strongly disagreed” that faculty Froshes were affordable.

Farnan said that the integration of SSMU and different faculty Froshes helped fund a diversity of events – including events for underage students, or à la carte events, most of which were optional and free. However, it is no longer possible to simply pay for only faculty Frosh. The combined price? Around $110 to $130, depending on the faculty.

This year, Kumar and his colleagues at Financial accessibility SUS Frosh decided to implement a bursary In the annual post-orientation survey of that covered the full price – $125 – of SUS students in 2012, 32 per cent of students sur- Frosh. The bursary, distributed to five stuveyed said they did not participate in a faculty dents through an online application form Frosh. One of the many reasons cited was the integrated into online registration, was a big

success according to Kumar.

SUS VP Inclusive Programming and Alternative Events Shannon Herrick said that the bursary was essential to the recipients. “[For them] it was, ‘if I do not get this, I will not be able to participate in Frosh,’” she said, adding that the recipients had a great experience.

However, no other faculties this year offered bursaries. “We’ve toyed with the idea of a fund or a bursary program,” Farnan said. “It’s in the works – how we can do it has yet to be discovered.” Until then, he added, “our best bet is to continue to try to reduce the actual cost of participating” by reducing costs internally.

With files from Jordan Venton-Rublee.

Frosh organizers attempt to shift focus from drinking Leaders seek to implement “culture change” with reforms Jordan Venton-Rublee | The McGill Daily

F

or the second consecutive year, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), in conjunction with various student faculty associations, introduced a number of initiatives aimed at making Frosh more inclusive to underage and non-drinking students.

The changes included revamped elements such as harm reduction teams, “Chill Zones” that offered sunscreen and water, and more all-ages events across faculties.

Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) VP Internal Sahil Kumar and his colleagues also implemented additional changes to SUS Frosh. Kumar told The Daily that the SUS launched a “sober Frosh group” for students who abstained from drinking for any reason.

Another reform in SUS Frosh sought to hold leaders more accountable. “One of the things we encouraged this year was the designated dry leader,” said Sahil.

“[The dry leader] would be as sober as their least drunk froshie.”

The effort to shift the focus of Frosh from drinking has been a persistent target of reforms. Last year, then-SSMU President Josh Redel told The Daily that the reforms were aimed at “changing the culture of Frosh as a whole to make it less of a bingedrinking festival.”

SSMU VP Internal Brian Farnan described this year’s Frosh reforms in a similar fashion. “What we are trying to do is create programming [...] where drinking is taking place but [that] is not focused on drinking.”

One such initiative this year was the rebranding of the pub crawl, now dubbed the “Montreal Crawl.” The traditional pub crawl was integrated into a scavenger hunt complete with food stops, to include both drinking and non-drinking students.

“I think that we as organizers are really proud of our [events with alcohol], we

think it is very indicative of the culture here in Montreal,” said Farnan. “The majority of students are eighteen when they come to school.”

“We believe that it is important for their safety and independence to treat them as adults as soon as they get here,” Farnan continued. “That being said, we also recognize that not everyone drinks.”

Mitchell Miller, Campus Life and Engagement’s Student Life Coordinator, echoed Farnan and Kumar’s positive stance on the relationship between alcohol and Frosh, but noted, “We still need to work on the leaders to be part of this culture change. I think this year saw a lot of change with the coordinators really taking that ownership.”

However, according to Justin Koh, SSMU Equity Commissioner, these initiatives – while a step in the right direction – have not solved all the problems. “I think [alcohol] is definitely still is a very

big component of Frosh, if not the largest component. There were a lot rules that they put in to make sure Frosh was more accessible to everyone.”

“I think drinking culture is this big umbrella term,” said Koh. “Alcohol – yeah, whatever, but what comes out of the Frosh culture is the bigger problem.”

AUS Equity Commissioner Josh Falek’s opinion was similar to Koh’s, stating in an email to The Daily, “I would say that as ever, Frosh is invested in a culture very much about the consumption of alcohol.”

“This year, however, it seemed that the Frosh coordinators tried to replace some of the most reprehensible aspects with temporary fixes to create a sort of ‘transitionary’ [sic] year, so that they could start the process of creating a more equitable Frosh.”

With files from Dana Wray.

Commentary

The McGill Daily

8

Monday, September 16, 2013

Better than ‘busy’

In defense of self-care and taking the low road Hillary Pasternak | The McGill Daily

Sylvan Hamburger | Illustrator

“

The problem with being busy is that you’re never busy enough,” a rather frazzled friend once told me, not bothering to look up from her laptop. She made it sound like an addiction; something that she chose to engage in at first, maybe even enjoyed, but which eventually became an inescapable feature of life, for better or for worse. Although in this case, “for worse” might not come up in discussion. Busy, scheduled within an inch of your life… that’s sort of the thing to be, these days. Everyone is busy.

“I’m so busy” has become a common humblebrag, both in conversation and in the social media echo chamber. “Yeah, sorry I couldn’t reply to your message. I’ve just been sooo busy lately.” (Check out #sobusy on Twitter sometime, if mingled desperation and smugness is your bag.) It’s at once an excuse and an invitation for commendation.

The implication is that if one is busy, they are in demand, and their skills have been recognized by others and are being utilized.

They are useful, and really, what could be better than being useful?

Allow me to condense a few centuries of philosophy and ideology into a ruthlessly simplified argument with myself: What’s so great about being busy?

Well, you get stuff done.

Why do you need to get stuff done?

So I can get other stuff done.

Why do you need to get that stuff done?

So I can get things.

Why do you need things?

So I can be happy.

There it is. Things = happy. Busy = getting stuff done, in order to acquire things.

Busy = happy. Now, that’s an ism, folks. I’m sure you can guess which one, but I’m not going to mention it here because it’ll get distracting. We’re not talking about isms, we’re talking about people.

This whole busy = things = happy equation wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for busy’s constant companion: tired. It takes a hell of a lot of energy to be available for email 24/7, cutting into your sleep time to write a paper, skipping lunch to organize a group project. Sure, you’re being useful, but you’ll run yourself into the ground. Maybe what we need to do is divorce ‘useful’ from ‘busy.’ Useful can be getting enough sleep.

Useful can be doing fewer things, better.

Useful can be taking care of your relationships with friends. Useful can be relaxing.

Why is this a problem now? Maybe we can blame it on the internet, because we do that with everything else. Granted, it was

a lot harder to take so much of your work home with you (sometimes to bed with you) before laptops and smartphones became so widespread, but it would be lazy to just blame the little devil-boxes we surround ourselves with. They’re just symptoms.

We created them specifically for efficiency.

They exist so that there would never have to be a time when work is not a possibility.

Instant gratification, we’re taught, is a bad thing. It appears everywhere we look in our fast-paced ‘I want it yesterday’ modern culture, yet it’s something to be avoided at all costs, if we want to reap the more virtuous, satisfying rewards that come with hard work and sacrifice. Big rewards, we’re told.

Those rewards are, you guessed it, the aforementioned ‘things.’

But more important than any of these complaints that I’ve dragged out of my privileged ass is the effect our glorification of work has on the people who have no choice but to be busy. People who work multiple jobs and hardly rest because things like procuring shelter and having enough to eat are generally essential to human survival. If we see exhaustion as the norm, we see no reason to help each other out.

And there are the stupid little human things that we can’t ignore, much as we’d

like to. ‘Busy’ can push people away. When a friend you haven’t seen in a while asks how you’ve been, and you reply that you’ve been really you-know-what lately, they hear that you don’t have time to miss them. You’ve been too busy one-upping their accomplishments. And you probably don’t have time to hang out with them.

So tell you what: let’s violently reject ‘busy.’ Let’s all be lumps. Clear your schedule, cancel your plans, come over to my house. We’ll watch movies. We’ll cook something. We’ll tell terrible jokes. And we’ll be of no use to anyone whatsoever.

There will be zero forward or upward motion. And you are going to be happy as fuck. Which is happier than a clam, in case you’re wondering.

Alright, no, I give. Ambition and work ethic are not bad things. But let’s stop allowing ourselves to think that they’re the only things worth our time. The number of people who know how ‘busy’ you are is not going to have any effect on your quality of life. So turn off your phone, go order a pint, and find something new to talk about.

Hillary Pasternak is a U1 History major and a Daily Culture editor. She can be reached at hillary.pasternak@gmail.com.

Features

The McGill Daily

Monday, September 16, 2013

Colouring the conversation

9

Students of colour at McGill talk about race Amina Batyreva | The McGill Daily

M

Warning: This article contains potentially triggering content regarding racism.

any of us deal with racism on a daily basis; we are confronted with it permanently, on our campus, and in our interpersonal relationships. Despite its ubiquity, many students do not feel comfortable talking about race outside of the classroom. When discussing race with other students of colour at McGill, I discovered that although most of my friends have plenty of opinions – both positive and negative – about their experiences with interpersonal and systemic racism, they are reluctant to air them in public, even in more intimate social settings, many people seem reluctant to bring up the topic of race. Mentioning race seems to ignite an unspoken air of tension – in multiracial groups of students in particular – with people being wary of either overstepping boundaries or airing frustrations that might incite conflict or resentment. For all the rhetoric of a post-racial North American society, race still seems to be a highly sensitive issue in everyday life.

It is thus not surprising that when people of colour (PoC) publicly express their views, shockwaves are sent through the McGill populace, garnering strong and hostile reactions.

Last year, for example, a number of articles about race and systemic racism, published in this paper, ignited firestorms of controversy, with some authors’ pieces even getting posted on white supremacy websites and attracting shocking online vitriol. Personal and ad hominem attacks were widespread, and readers started shooting the messenger, rather than actually listening to what was being said. After seeing the kind of response generated by Christiana Collison’s black feminism column in The Daily, it is not surprising that students are uncomfortable talking about race.

Much of the criticism surrounding these past articles also centered on their form and writing style, which in turn served as a way to deflect their content and avoid honest engagement with arguments. Whether this was the case or not, this argumentative line implied that talking about racism was restricted to those with “better” communication skills.

Truth be told, oppression is not aesthetically pleasing, and it is not always easy to understand. To combat racism is to engage with different types of discourse that denounce it, to

acknowledge its numerous manifestations, and to realize how these shape people’s lives and forms of expression – including our communicational devices.

The following feature is a compilation of unedited statements on race by students of colour at McGill. My intent is to provide an anonymous public platform for PoC students at McGill to honestly and frankly express their thoughts about race – in their own terms and without fear of retribution or negative attention. Hopefully, in these conditions of anonymity, the testimony will speak for itself.

loved it because it was “different.”

I was also reminded of my race whenever people took me not attending the [student] protests as me disagreeing in principle when, as a landed immigrant, there’s a pretty long list of stuff that’d get me deported […] and, as a PoC, I am much more likely to be both arrested and charged. I’m reminded of my race whenever I see fear flash in people’s eyes around me, whenever I’m described by my race first. I’ve been in Burnside elevators several times and had people clutch their purses closer [when I got in], as though someone clearly coming from – or going to – class *** would have the time, or the need, to steal their purse in an enclosed space with cam“Do you ever feel, or have you ever felt, eras in it. […] There’s also the hair-touching self-conscious of your race?” thing. People do it without asking, friends ask me endlessly. It’s most of the reason why I I didn’t really have a concept of race un- hate my hair being longer than a centimeter. til I moved to Canada in 2008. I hadn’t really I get reminded and feel self-conscious of my thought about it, which was remarkable given race every day. It’s exhausting. that my father worked on institutional racism in the UK. Within two years of moving here, “Do you have an experience related to I was black. I was apart. I’d spent my entire race, at McGill or elsewhere, that stuck life in predominantly white institutions and with you?”

I hadn’t even realized I was a minority. [But] I was reminded of my race nearly every day The whole McGill classes system is kind at the high school I went to. […] Whenever of one big micro-aggression. I mean, why are someone thought they were about to say there so few courses that can be employed something really racist against black people in an English Lit degree that deal with nonaround me, they tended to just give me the white authors? It’s well-established that side-eye or stop halfway through their sen- many of the great writers of English literatences, allowing everyone to imagine the ex- ture had read work from large portions of the act worst thing they could’ve said, hanging in world. Large elements of other cultures had the silence like a guillotine blade. an input in the tradition of English literature I think what has made me most conscious and there have been plenty of PoC authors of my race at McGill is the fact that people writing in English for centuries. There are keep getting me mixed up with my brother. great authors out there now. They need to While I recognize that he’s my brother, and be included in the canon because right now we look a certain amount alike, I highly doubt the canon is as white as Tom Sawyer’s fences. that if we were more Caucasian, people Diversity of perspective can hardly be a bad would have such constant trouble [telling us thing, especially in lit. apart] – we look pretty different, as people go. […] There was also the time my intro English Identifies as a mixed person of Pan-European, Lit class read Equiano’s The Interesting Nar- African-Caribbean, and Semitic origins. U2 rative… I found it interesting how many of my English Literature & Economics. classmates would earnestly tell me how wonderful it was to be reading an “African author,” *** mostly people I didn’t really know. I hated that text for its colonialist apologism; they “Universities are known for the fact that

many students choose to self-segregate based on race. Do you have any comments on this phenomenon?”

I never intended to be segregated into an all-Asian friend group. It just happens. I think it’s just natural and more comfortable for us. We just drift together, as corny as it sounds; I find it may just be the culture we were brought up in. I have, of course, had the chance to make friends with non-Asian peers during the time I’ve spent in Canada both in Vancouver and at McGill. However, I find it’s a little hard to become very close friends with non-Asian people, as if there is a wall between us when we interact … I’m not really sure how to put it into words. It’s not exactly a cultural barrier or a language barrier, but just an invisible wall I feel like I can’t breach. […] I’ve also had many encounters in which I would walk on the streets of Montreal, and random white people would shout “ni hao” at me. I always thought it was just ignorant white people who assumed that all Asians are Chinese; however, my recent internship, in which I had to deal with hundreds of different people every day, changed my view slightly on this. I was mind-boggled as to how many Chinese people assume you’re Chinese if you look Asian. I’ve found that the majority of Chinese people that I interacted with each day assume you’re Chinese if you’re Asian… so perhaps it’s not just a case of racial insensitivity – or a kind of barrier – between Asians and non-Asians, but also among Asians themselves.

Identifies as South Korean. U3 Environment. *** “Universities are known for the fact that many students choose to self-segregate based on race. Do you have any comments on this phenomenon?”

I just transferred to McGill after a year at a university in Northeastern America, and while I haven’t been at McGill long, I really appreciate the diverse and genuinely accepting environment that McGill has. The entire

The McGill Daily

10 approach that most American universities have towards diversity – in deliberately encouraging it – is just so flawed. Even from the application process, the deliberateness and forcefulness of their efforts is really clear. When applying, I had to indicate my race, and for those unfamiliar with U.S. undergraduate applications, I’m what is considered an “overrepresented minority.” U.S. schools try to make every entering class as diverse as possible, so while nothing’s ever officially declared, it’s common knowledge that certain ethnic groups need higher test scores and better resumes than other groups, to prevent one group from being “disproportionately” represented.

When I arrived on campus [of the American university] last year though, it was clear that the school’s attempts to promote diversity didn’t work [the way they intended]. I actually felt like I’d stepped into that scene in Mean Girls where Janice and Damien introduce Cady to the various subcultures at the school. Despite the fact that the university consciously made an effort to gather as diverse and balanced group of freshmen as possible, it seemed to only make it easier for students to self-segregate, since there were more people of the same race to hang out with.

To top it all off, at the end of the year, the school sent out a “diversity survey,” asking 25 questions like, “How many times this year have you formed a study group or done an extracurricular with someone of a different ethnicity/race/creed/religious background than you?” And to encourage students to fill out this ridiculous survey, every hundredth student to answer would win a $25 gift card to the campus store. […] The uncomfortable environment created by the university’s attitude towards race is partly why I chose to transfer and come back to Canada. McGill is an actually diverse school, not through conscious effort, but just by being. Walking through campus, I really haven’t seen any of the self-segregation I’d witnessed last year. I’m not sure if these is-

Monday, September 16, 2013

sues stem from a difference in school policy or if they stem from a difference between the treatment of race by American and Canadian culture in general, but it’s really, really nice to be home.

Identifies as Asian. U1 Psychology. *** “How do you identify racially?”

I find that answering the question of what race I am is a difficult one. The cultural environment that I have been raised in is very different from the one that my parents have been brought up in, which in turn is very different from that of my grandparents. Personally, I identify with many different cultures, but when asked what race I am, I feel that it limits me to one that I may not necessarily share much in common with.

“Do you have any experiences related to race, either at McGill or elsewhere, that stuck with you?”

Since coming to McGill, I’ve been exposed to many different kinds of people.

Some have never interacted with people of colour before, and have no idea how to do so […] In my first year, I remember being called a “F.O.B.” by someone because I didn’t pronounce the word “vitamin” the North American way. And recently, I heard someone tell a [South Asian] friend that her hair – surprisingly! – didn’t smell of curry. I’ve had to listen to a McGill professor compare wearing burqas to wearing garbage bags. Another [professor], who said to my class that while the Japanese can’t drive, we shouldn’t “get him wrong” because this professor still admires their economic structure.

What upsets me is that these people feel that it’s completely acceptable to say something like this. And when our school’s impres-

sionable first years are being told twerking jokes at a McGill assembly, this kind of racist attitude isn’t hard to come by. What I’ve come to learn my past few years at McGill is that these people are everywhere… and that reporting a professor for racist comments doesn’t actually get you anywhere at this school. But who knows? That could just be because of all the budget cuts.

Features

cept. I walk around with people reading me as a Chinese person, and often either a Chinese fag or a dyke – depending on the day, I guess. Every day. I see thin, white bodies and faces all over trans* and queer groups […] and within the groups of Chinese people I know, barely anyone even knows the word “transgender,” let alone understands any part of my actual identity. Yet here I am, feeling like a walking billboard of weirdness every time I Prefers not to identify with any particular race. step out my door.

U3 Biology.

As someone who spent a great deal of their life believing that white men were supe*** rior in attractiveness and desirability, I grew up feeling like I had to be attractive to them.

“Do you ever feel, or have you ever felt, That insecurity surfaces now even when I acself-conscious of your race?” tively seek out non-white, non-male people in my romantic life. I worry about being ugly on A better question would be, “Do you ever a daily basis, as much as I try to believe that I not feel self-conscious about your race?” and am better than that. the answer would be – fucking never. I feel self-conscious in classes. I reflexively worry Identifies as Chinese. U3 Biology. about being ‘too Asian’ when responding to questions I know the answers to. I start to *** fidget and get uncomfortable when anthropological ethnography is discussed in my anthro “Do you ever feel, or have you ever felt, classes, and PoC groups are put under a miself-conscious of your race?” croscope and ‘analyzed’ in a really academic and othering way, treating their behaviours Being a one-and-a-half generation Pakilike that of animals because they’re exotic, stani immigrant, I’ve always been self-condifferent, primitive, et cetera. scious of my race since arriving in Canada.

I can’t help but feel self-conscious even in There isn’t really a time that I can pinpoint to places where I want to feel safe, and actually when I strongly felt my skin color to be inferior believe that I am. When I’m hanging out with because there is always a lingering feeling. queer/trans*/feminist activists, I get uncomBefore I go on, I should mention that any fortable if a lot of them are white, because any feelings of inferiority – or comparisons to time privilege enters the conversation I feel others – have always been in relation to the like everyone’s eyes are drifting towards me whites. It’s kind of inevitable that I consider as their token non-white person […] when re- them to be the ‘wild type’ [in the biological ally, I could give less of a shit about speaking sense]. In my mind, being white was an acup just to validate their feelings and interpre- complishment. It was something that I saw in tations of PoC politics. a positive light back home, and so; in retroAs a trans*, queer PoC, I get really pissed spect, it isn’t surprising that I always forced off when supposed activists throw around the myself to align with and befriend people sevterm “intersectionality” without it ever being eral shades lighter than me. It’s humiliating a real problem or concern for them, as any- to admit, but I felt that if I hung out with peothing other than an abstract academic con- ple of my color – people who understood my

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Features culture, my lifestyle, religion or whatever – I would be getting the short end of the stick. I was obviously ‘better’ – more modern, better educated – if my friends were white.

Whenever an occasion arose for me to discuss my roots or my culture, I shied away and steered the conversation towards a more eurocentric route because I just didn’t think my world measured up to theirs. Like, I don’t ever recall mentioning Bollywood films or actors to any of my non-immigrant friends because to me it seemed like, “Yeah, I know what you’re going to say. I know it’s silly and that it’s so elementary compared to Hollywood. I don’t need you to mock it and silence me into humiliation.” I guess what I’m trying to say is that I intentionally try to assimilate rather than integrate because I don’t want reminders that I’m not their equal even though I have every right to be.

My feelings of racial inadequacy are no longer as profound as [in] my pre-university years, but it’s just a matter of time until the internalized sense of shame resurfaces. For example, when Mindy Kaling came on screen as the lead in her romcom brain child, I had to pause my [video] stream and collect myself.

I thought, “A brown woman is going to be the focus of this show and is going to be the romantic interest of all these good-looking white dudes? Really?” Part of it was because I felt that Mindy Kaling was carrying the torch for all us South Asian females, and I didn’t want to be there for the aftermath when she stumbled. I was very skeptical to believe that a self-assured, successful, and funny brown girl could be accepted and loved – as much as her white counterparts – by her predominantly white audience.

11

Monday, September 16, 2013

Of course, especially with the way immigrants are looked at by the current Quebec government. People might also take a view of me that is probably false due to established stereotypes. I feel most self-conscious when I am travelling, or in a government institution; I always watch the way I act, what I say, and what language I choose to speak in certain situations. I often feel looked down upon in the more intolerant parts of the province, such as when I visit relatives outside of the island of Montreal, or in the States.

“How do you think McGill as a university fares at racial issues? Do you feel comfortable as a PoC at McGill?”

I think even if McGill wanted to manifest itself as a post-racial institution, it will never escape the internalized racism/fear of others among its student body. Personally, I feel comfortable as a PoC at McGill because of the people I surround myself with, but you can’t help that one racist comment by a student/teacher in the classroom, or the misconceptions people might have about your race/background.

Identifies as Arab/Middle-Eastern. U1 Middle East Studies.

store, asking for cardboard boxes. My parents had already donated almost all their boxes to some people earlier that day, and explained that they needed the rest to run their business… and then [the man] leaves, angrily, saying “I would expect this from you people.”

“You people,” as in Asian. Honestly, my heart broke when I heard that. I almost forgot why I never wanted to go back. I just realized that, in their eyes, I will never be Calgarian.

It’s awful to realize that. I’m sorry.

Yeah, it’s kind of nice that happened though, in a way. It really made things clear.

The saddest part though, is that that man thought that he was doing the right thing.

All he wanted to do was help others who were affected by the flood, and when my parents couldn’t give him the boxes, he said it, the thing that his subconscious was thinking all along, probably – ‘these people aren’t my people.’

I don’t think racism has ever affected me this emotionally before… My dad has lived in Calgary for over 40 years. Once he retires, he’s leaving Calgary for good.

Identifies as South Korean. Graduated Winter 2013, Anatomy and Cell Biology. ***

*** “Do you want to tell me a story related to race that’s stuck with you?”

So you know the floods that have been happening in Calgary, right? Well, honestly, I’ve never been prouder of being Calgarian.

After seeing all the kindness after the flood…

Identifies as South Asian. U3 Science. it made me feel really happy I was from this city. Something I have never felt before. I al*** most forgot why I never wanted to go back.

My parents have been donating a shitload of “Do you ever feel, or have you ever felt, stuff too, to all the volunteers who have been self-conscious of your race?” helping clean up.

And then some white guy comes into their

“I’m compiling people’s stories, comments, and experiences of race and racism. Do you have anything to share?”

aux puces comes up to me and tells me “tu es un beau garcon.” I know he’s 60 because I asked him when I was lying in his bed 2 days later. I had just come out of the bathroom at the fleamarket, so I guess he’d been waiting for me to exit. He gives me his number, along with an antique lamp from his stall. He offers me the ring on his finger, but I think it’s ugly and say no. I give the ring back, but gave him a ‘ring’ a few days later.

We met in a McDonald’s parking lot, and then drove to his house to have a beer.

I knew it was weird, but I let myself try. I didn’t feel in any danger. But more honestly, I hadn’t felt any love. Next thing I know, we’re in his one bedroom apartment flooded with red light and his crackly radio playing pop techno. Dance remixes. Rihanna and Justin Timberlake going, he starts to slip his hand under my shirt. “J’aime ton corps,” he tells me. I ain’t feelin’ it, but again, I try. I start to get very physically repulsed, and when he starts to give me a blowjob I tell him I need to leave to have a cigarette. We have okay conversation about religion and travelling, but he’s clearly only interested in sex. I ask him from his balcony, “alors tu aimes les homes indiennes?” He says, “J’aime tout les immigrants.” I tell him I am frustrated with myself and I can’t do this but I still need him to drive me back to where my bike is. I’m scared that he’ll say no, but anyway he drives me and it’s fine. He also offers me $10 so I can eat dinner. I accepted; I was hungry.

In his car he constantly keeps giving me eyes that remind me of when he was giving me a blowjob and I cringe. “Je t’aime,” he says as he rubs my thigh. I ride my bike, trying to find something I can crash into. So. That.

Was. That.

So as I write this, a white, blonde-haired baby is glaring at me as if she just saw an alien prancing down the ramp of a UFO. Her mother holds her while chatting to her own mother about an interracial couple that they know, specifically about the “black” woman’s “tight curls.” And I’m sitting here, trying to write an anecdote about racialized experiences. Uncanny. The grandmother just said, “Their culIdentifies as Indian/Brown/Person of Color. ture will set us back another 100 years.”

A 60 year old man that works at a marche U3 Arts.

Sci+Tech

The McGill Daily

Monday, September 16, 2013

A simple sticker with bigger plans

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Using warning labels to fight climate change Chloe Nevitt | Sci+Tech Writer

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ustainability is a word we hear frequently enough – everyone and their grandmother is ‘going green.’ But in our busy day-to-day lives, the planet is frequently forgotten. Michelle Reeves, a recent McGill graduate, has teamed up with a powerful group of individuals who want to prevent this from happening.

In January 2013, Executive Director Rob Shirkey founded the Our Horizons project.

His goal was simple – to get people thinking about the planet. His plan of action is equally as austere: the not-for profit organization wants to pass legislation requiring gas stations to place warning stickers on fuel nozzles similar to those on cigarette packages.

Shirkey spearheaded the project based on the belief that the first step to solving a problem is to address it. The graphic mock-ups proposed by the company undoubtedly force people to think twice about filling up.

Reeves discovered the project while doing a field study in Panama. It was there where she found out about a job on the Our Horizons team. Among the flurry of other job postings this one stood out because it wasn’t advertised as a job, but a lifestyle. “I felt drawn to it.

All other jobs felt like starting at the bottom, which was okay too, but [here] I really had a chance to get involved in something globally unprecedented, get my hands dirty, and do some hard work,” she told The Daily.

Science blurbs What’s happening in science at McGill.

She largely connects her determination in making Our Horizons successful to the Macdonald Campus community. “They all cared about similar things,” she raved, “and the professors were always supporting student initiatives.” She specifically noted groups like the Eco Garden and the Sustainability Club.

Currently acting as the Director of Communications for the Our Horizons team, Reeves spent her summer going door-to-door campaigning for this project. The team believes that success will be largely based on getting the word out and hopefully starting a chain reaction. Just like the global expansion of warning labels on cigarette packages, Our Horizons hopes to be the catalyst for spreading warnings on fuel nozzles, .

While facing up to municipalities is currently their main concern, resistance has been coming from individuals who argue that these labels are ineffective. Some even go on to say that climate change and global warming is a hoax. To those who the facts can’t sway, Reeves simply replies, “Better be safe than sorry.”

For those interested in trying to help out the sustainability initiative, Reeve and the rest of the Our Horizons team encourage people to start small. “Bike, carpool, recycle,” she urges – a piece of advice that lines up with their project and the simplicity of thought.

Anything is always better than nothing, and alas, too many people are doing nothing.

Emily Martin | Illustrator

Unwinding the enigma of “junk” DNA

A re-examination of the most abundant and overlooked regions of a plant’s genome

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he negative connotation surrounding non-coding DNA – the components of DNA that don’t encode protein sequences – is almost as ubiquitous as the genetic material itself. Despite constituting the vast majority of living organisms’ genomes, these long stretches of DNA have gained a bad reputation, often being referred to as ‘the stuff between genes’ and even ‘junk’ DNA. Scientists have only recently begun to unveil the significance of this seemingly nonfunctioning DNA, discovering that in the world of genetics, it is far from being ‘junk’. One of the researchers working to reinvent the way we view non-coding DNA is a professor in McGill’s molecular biology department, Thomas Bureau.

Heading the Value-directed Evolutionary Genomics Initiative (colloquially referred to as “VEGI”), Bureau and his team of specialized researchers aim to pinpoint the functional and agricultural significance of non-coding DNA within several species of the Brassicaceae family, informally known as the mustard flowers. Bureau and his team primarily focus their studies on the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana (commonly known as mouse-ear cress).

Although Arabidopsis is viewed as nothing more than an everyday weed, it is a close

Jill Laurin | Sci+Tech Writer relative of many economically important food crops such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and mustard. Through this research, Bureau hopes to not only better understand the significance of non-coding DNA in plants, but also identify specific regions of non-coding DNA that possess the potential for crop improvement.

Funded by Genome Canada and Génome Québec, the collaborative $5 million project between McGill and the University of Toronto is entering its fourth and final year. The first phase of VEGI involved determining the regions of Arabidopsis’ genome to study.

Bureau and his team needed to isolate the genetic information that Arabidopsis shared with other members of the Brassicaceae family. This would allow them to extrapolate the information gained from studying Arabidopsis and apply it to essential food crops. Thus, a great deal of genome sequencing and comparative analyses were required to ‘weed’ out Arabidopsis’ ‘significant’ DNA (the DNA conserved among other members of the Brassicaceae family) from the insignificant. As Bureau stated in an interview with The Daily, “It has only now become apparent that some of those non-coding regions are important functionally.”

Now in the second and final phase of the

project, Bureau has begun the process of constructing and performing experiments to shed light on the function of the non-coding DNA in not only Arabidopsis, but also various crop species. Utilizing cutting-edge genomic technologies, such as the McGill Plant Phenomics Platform (MP3 – a high-precision machine that provides researchers fast and automated measurements of complex phenotypic traits in plants), Bureau is able to monitor and evaluate Arabidopsis’ growth and development after mutating regions of its non-coding DNA. His findings hint at the extent to which non-coding DNA can affect a plant’s response to various abiotic (nonliving) stresses. As he stated, “There is so much significance in non-coding DNA; a lot of the things we have found seem to be connected to traits such as drought tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency, cold and freezing tolerance, salt tolerance, and even tolerance to very toxic compounds like arsenic.”

Once completed, the information and knowledge gained from the VEGI will provide clearer instructions for effective crop breeding, ultimately allowing for the propagation of desired plant characteristics through a greater understanding of noncoding DNA’s important role in biological functions and development.

The McGill Daily

Sci+Tech

13

Monday, September 16, 2013

Is computer programming the new literacy?

The importance of teaching kids to code Gersande La Flèche | Sci+Tech Writer

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uring the summer of 2012, my artistic and talented little sister hit the job market for the first time. While hunting for an internship, she was repeatedly told that a basic job requirement was knowledge of HTML and CSS (computer coding languages). Being able to manipulate Word and Excel documents was insufficient. One has to be a lot more computer savvy to compete in the job market.

The latest buzz in education surrounds the idea of getting young kids in front of computers and teaching them how to code. The hype around the idea is palpable: even Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg fully embraces the idea. He recently teamed with Bill Gates and programmers around the world to share a video filled with personal anecdotes to inspire kids to code.

So, we ask the question – is computer programming the literacy of the 21st century?

In complex economies with large communication networks such as Canada, social interactions are now defined by instant messaging, emoticons and memes. Facebook, Twitter, and a myriad of other services shape and – perhaps less benignly – control the way we interact with each other. Banking and shopping have also migrated in part to the web. The Canadian government is going online. If a company or store wants to be relevant, it needs a significant web presence. In this rapidly changing world, technological literacy is becoming an increasingly valuable trait.

Still, there are skeptics who do not see the need or the value of computer literacy. Some compare using computers to driving cars. A driver doesn’t need to know combustion engines to be able to drive. This analogy, which at first glance seems imbued with common sense, is dangerously flawed.

Perhaps we would be skeptics too if com-

puters were appliances like cars or washing machines. But washing machines and cars don’t process banking transactions, suggest movies based on my search history, or archive the ‘best’ moments of my life.

A better analogy for coding is found in something already taught in elementary schools: reading and writing. What would we think if somebody said: “I already know how to read, so why should I learn how to write, when so many other people are writing already?”

Writing is an integral and necessary part of life. Not every person who writes becomes J.K. Rowling, but in theory they can communicate because they intricately understand the ABCs, grammar and syntax.

If today’s kids are not exposed to the elementary blocks of software and computer science, our schools are effectively grooming a generation of passive tech consumers.

These passive consumers are ill-prepared for the modern, technological work market. As it stands, less than a fifth of Canadian children (and an even smaller proportion of girls) are considering going into science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields.

Moreover, computer access in Canada is still an issue of affordability and income. In Montreal alone, according to a 2011 Statistics Canada census, there are over 300,000 households with young children that do not have a computer in the house. How do we give these children the immensely empowering opportunity of learning computer science early?

Elementary schools are the answer. Making sciences attractive is a challenge for many schools; however computer science has the potential to complement and aid the teaching of mathematics, geometry, logic and algebra.

Introducing computer science at an early age will also help close the gender gap that plagues the technical field. Young girls are much less

Alice Shen | The McGill Daily aware that the tech world is male-dominated, and haven’t yet been discouraged by the lack of mentors and peers to look up to. If their creativity and skills can be nurtured and encouraged along with the boys at a young age, the gender gap in STEM fields may start to disappear.

To increase enrollment in STEM fields and ensure that children have access to computers, schools must get children into coding. A generation of computer literate kids means a generation can use a computer to their advantage.

Reading and writing code are tools that can really empower children by tapping into their

curiosity and imagination. Primary school is an ideal place for children to acquaint themselves with computers, learn how to responsibly deal with the web, and, for many, develop a liking for STEM fields.

Gersande La Flèche and Kate Arthur started the non-profit Kids Code Jeunesse this year to start getting children into computer science. Kids Code Jeunnesse is a Community Engagement Day Partner and will be holding activities on October 4.

Discovering Trisomy 21

The life and works of Jérôme Lejeune Rassin Lababidi | Sci+Tech Writer

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n September 5, a crowd gathered in Redpath Hall at McGill despite the chilly weather. Some came out of curiosity, some out of respect, and some to remember. Whatever the reason, people had gathered at an exhibit for the man who is arguably the father of modern genetics, Dr. Jérôme Lejeune.

The exhibition was organized by various people who hoped to share Lejeune’s fascinating life work with the rest of the Montreal community. It started with an introduction by Marc Chabati, a graduate student at McGill, and was followed by a lecture about Lejeune’s life by Dr. Mark Basik, a McGill researcher who studies the genomics of breast and colon cancer.

After attending and training at the Paris Institute of Medicine, Jérôme Lejeune decided to become a surgeon. However, he was unfortunately (or fortunately) unable to pass the exam – a turn of events that led him down a different path.

After abandoning the field of surgery, Lejeune delved into the broad world of medical research. Lejeune joined the lab of Dr.

Raymond Turpin, where he began research into the cause of Down syndrome.

Down syndrome is a relatively rare genetic disorder occurring one in approximately 1,000 births worldwide. The disease is characterized by mental disabilities and various physical conditions. In Lejeune’s time, Down’s was believed to be caused by an infectious pathogen, resulting in the ostracism of those affected by the disease.

Lejeune and Turpin first tried to identify the key observable differences between those with and without Down’s during embryonic formation. They found that permanent characteristics, such as palm lines and fingerprints, were different between the two groups. What was even more surprising was that these differences developed during the first two months of pregnancy – suggesting a genetic link to the cause of Down’s.

Lejeune believed that a disability with many anomalies could not be formed by a single gene, and in 1957 he started karyotyping (counting the number of chromosomes in) children with Down syndrome. In 1958,

he was able to show children with Down syndrome had one extra chromosome – a condition that was later named Trisomy 21. The scientific community first took this discovery with skepticism because it was still believed at the time that Down’s was caused by an infection. As a result, Lejeune travelled the world spreading news about his discovery.

This was the first time a chromosomal abnormality was linked to a disease, marking the beginning of a new field called cytogenetics. It was due to this discovery that Lejeune is sometimes termed as ‘the father of modern genetics.’

Lejeune enjoyed research, but his primary concern as a pediatrician was his patients, whom he cared for deeply; he claimed that he knew 2,000 of his patients by their first names. After discovering the cause of Down syndrome, he actively tried to find a cure.

He proposed pinpointing the overexpressed genes on chromosome 21 or shutting off the whole chromosome, but both approaches required technologies (such as gene sequencing) that were not available at the time.

While Lejeune was searching for a cure, the discovery of the cause of Down syndrome had a big and unexpected side effect – the rate of abortion rose to 90 to 95 per cent for embryos diagnosed with Down’s.

This upset Lejeune, and while France was in the process of legalizing abortion, he became a pro-life activist; his motto being “Hate the disease, Love the patient.”

When asked if his pro-life stance was due to him being a devout Catholic, Lejeune replied, “If the Pope were to legalize abortion, then I would leave Catholicism immediately,” emphasizing that his views were based on purely scientific and humanistic reasons.

When Basik was asked what he hoped people would learn from Lejeune’s story, he replied, “I hope they see that science is bigger than just data and that human beings are much more than scientific data [and see them in the way] Lejeune saw it and love it the way he did.”

In the end, whether or not you share Lejeune’s views, one cannot doubt his great compassion, love for his patients, and of course his vital contributions to the field of genetics.

Sports

The McGill Daily

14

Monday, September 16, 2013

Fear and loathing in Buffalo, NY On being a fan despite a decade of losing Evan Dent | The McGill Daily

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ome establishing facts:

+ The National Football League (NFL)’s Buffalo Bills haven’t made the playoffs since 1999. + That year, they lost on the last play of the game, on a lateral kickoff return, a gimmick play rarely run since. + The Bills haven’t finished with a winning record since the 2004-05 season. + That year, the Bills had the chance to make the playoffs if they won their final game of the season; they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ backups. + The Bills made the Super Bowl four years in a row (1990-93) and lost all of them, losing the first by a missed field goal as time expired. + Tom Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback, had 20 wins and 2 losses in his career against the Bills going into this season. + I drove 15 hours (round-trip) last weekend to see the Bills open their season against the Patriots. It was a sellout crowd, one of the loudest I’d ever heard. *** The Bills are a punchline, a shorthand for futility. They’re also my favorite football team, and have been as long as I can remember. (My sports memories do begin somewhere around 1999, with the aforementioned playoff loss sticking out the most.) In essence, the entirety of my Buffalo Bills experience has been watching them lose in increasingly gut-wrenching ways.

The Bills haven’t just been bad. Instead, the Bills have developed a special way of losing: in games against better teams, the Bills have a knack for staying close or leading for nearly the entire game before screwing up at the end.

When the Bills do win, it’s usually against a ‘worse’ team – yes, they exist – and often by the skin of their teeth. Again: I drove 15 hours to watch this team play; going into this game, oddsmakers had pegged them as a ten-point underdog. Also: I was excited to be there.

I’ve never really been able to explain being a sports fan, especially considering the fact that I fervently follow three very bad teams (the Bills, the Buffalo Sabres, and the Chicago Cubs), with a combined zero championships since 1908. I grew up in Chicago, so the idea of a regional connection to Buffalo is tenuous. The only thing that makes sense

is a familial connection – from a young age, I spent my Sundays watching football with my Dad, where I learned most of my favourite curse words. Despite not winning very often, I grew to love watching the games with him, which eventually led to loving the team, too.

But now I’m away from home, and still yelling at the TV, still yelling and cursing in the name of this crappy team.

Every year, hope springs anew for Bills fans, and it’s no different for me, despite 14 years of evidence that things will not change. This year, the Bills hired a new coach and drafted a new quarterback in the first round of April’s draft.

I spent $170 to see the debut of this coach and quarterback, because, in the haze of fanhood, I was hoping – almost convinced – it would be the start of something different.

I drove out Saturday, arrived in the Buffalo area that night, woke up on Sunday around 8:30 a.m. so that my friends and I –about 12 in total – could go tailgate outside the stadium and, well, you guessed it, drink. My attire for the day: a baseball cap with BILLS written in huge letters across the front, a long sleeved shirt with the throwback logo and BILLS written on it and Zubaz pants, which are Bills colored pajama pants from the 1990s. I was dressed as an idiot.

I don’t want to glorify it like some frat-bro fantasy, but what I’m trying to say is: drinking is inextricably linked to Bills games, probably because a) it’s Buffalo, where the bars close at 4 a.m. and b) the Bills have been so horrendously bad for so long that a large portion of the crowd – around 70,000 people – take up drinking to make the experience somewhat better. At this point, my friends and I are halfironically talking up the Bills, talking up the beginning of the ‘[new quarterback] EJ Manuel era.’ (Related: one analyst called the selection of EJ Manuel a waste of a draft pick.)

It’s only half ironic because buried deep, no matter how much we don’t want to admit it, we actually believe that this could go well. *** After a lengthy wait to get into the stadium – NFL security is only slightly faster than a packed airport – my friends and I found our seats, up in the bleachers. It’s one of the few stadiums left in the league that is built to be loud. From the beginning of the game, the whole crowd stands and yells “OHHHH” on every Patriots third down. Despite this, the game starts as expected, and the Bills go down 10-0 in the first quarter.

Jennifer Said | Illustrator Quick aside – I went to this game with an actual Patriots fan, one of the most loud and obnoxious fans I know (also, incidentally, one of the most knowledgeable and passionate football fans I know). At this point, he’s so confident the Patriots are going to win, and, not wanting to get beat up, he’s mock-cheering for the Bills, infuriating me and my friends because we know he’s not sincere, and we know he’s mocking our own pathetic hopes.

At one point, another fan discovers that my friend likes the Patriots. He asks: “What’s it like to be a Patriots fan?” My friend replies: “You guys [Bills fans], you have fun. We have fun too, but we also win.” It is the most depressingly true statement I hear all weekend.

Then, something amazing happens – the Bills return a fumble 74 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, and are back in it.

The teams trade scores before half, and it’s 1714 Patriots at half. EJ Manuel has just thrown for his first career touchdown. The crowd is freaking out.

Anyway, the Bills get the ball to start the second half, go on an awesome touchdown drive, and lead 21-17 in the third quarter. The crowd now has completely lost its shit. But despite my joy, my elation, there is doubt. Because I’ve seen this before. We’ve all seen it before – they lead for most of the game, then blow it at the end. Going into the fourth, the Bills are up 21-20. We’re still standing up on

third downs, still freaking out when the defense makes a stop. But I suspect that I’m not alone in fearing – nay, knowing – that it will end the same way, with a loss. Every single piece of evidence from watching this team points that way.

The offense sputters in the fourth quarter, punting on every drive. On a short third down, our best receiver drops a pass that would’ve extended the drive. The defense keeps holding until Tom Brady, with four minutes left in the game, does what he does – win. He methodically drives his team down the field, picking apart the Bills. There are several third downs on the drive, and each time we stand and cheer and shout and scream but they don’t get the stop. They never do. The Patriots get into field goal range, run out the clock, and kick a gimme for the win. 23-21. Another Bills loss.

Why? Why keep subjecting myself to this?

That’s the question that is stuck in my head.

Even after the game, we kept saying that we knew it was coming. We also kept saying that it was better than expected, that at least we kept it close, that there was hope. That’s it, really, hope. Despite every single thing in the past decade telling us to stay away, droves of us come back to watch each game. Hope defies rationality; it keeps us standing up on third down, because this one – no, really, this one – could be different.

Health&Ed

The McGill Daily

15

Monday, September 16, 2013

Crossing borders and fields of study

Engineers Without Borders does what many before it could not Christopher Cayen-Cyr | Health&Ed Writer

Carmen Fenech | Illustrator

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ot only does it take all kinds to make the world go round, it also takes all kinds to change it. The McGill chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), a large organization that extends to 29 universities in Canada, illustrates this by going beyond the scope of their name. They allow students from all faculties and departments to come together in hopes of achieving one ambitious, inspirational (and, some would argue, idealistic) goal: providing solutions to global humanitarian problems, such as water resources and agricultural issues. That’s certainly a lot of material to chew on, but as Marc Chelala, Director of Communications at McGill EWB, would say, “It’s all about rethinking the system.”

While EWB was first conceived as a technical program providing opportunities for engineers to help communities in need, unsuccessful projects led to the broadening of the organization’s scope. “Initial projects did not focus on the self-sufficiency of the targeted communities,” explains Chelala, “eventually, participants realized that simply building a well wasn’t enough to make a change.” Thus came a new vision, as it wasn’t about investing in the project anymore – it was about “investing in the people,” a tagline that embodied EWB’s newfound direction and commitment to reaching the roots of the problem. The organization’s actions were then divided into a four-step process: research, pilot, scaling, and exit.

The process is simple to implement. After

understanding the causes of the problem, it becomes important to come up with new approach strategies and implement them gradually, the goal being to leave knowing the community will be able to sustain itself afterwards. In this spirit, EWB carries out its development work with governments.

“We want to avoid falling into ‘voluntourism’ as much as possible,” explains Julia Wai, Vice-President of Communications. Indeed, many questions have been raised in the past over the administration of charitable organizations, including some sponsored by EWB. The impact of the projects developed, and the use of the funds raised, are among those concerns. “While many [volunteers] choose to go for two-month expeditions, we focus on the long-term, and our projects typically last for at least a year.” How exactly does the McGill chapter contribute to those projects?

The answer lies in McGill EWB’s Junior Fellowship Program, whereby one to two students are sent to African countries each year (most recently Uganda and Malawi) to participate in the organization’s longer 12 month endeavours. However, the chapter also offers many other ways to get involved, no matter your field of study.

“One of our main challenges this year is to reach out to a variety of students,” stresses Wai. “It is a very common misconception that EWB is composed entirely of engineers, when in fact our work is being [carried out] by a wide range of people.”

One prime example of EWB’s reaching

out beyond its own faculty is Jessica Hoch, a U3 geography student. In charge of developing Fair Trade projects for McGill EWB, Hoch recently reached a major milestone: an official certification from Fair Trade itself.

“Finally obtaining our certification felt very fulfilling,” she explains. ”It was a pleasing step in our development. We are committed to offering visibility and accessibility to Fair Trade products, such as chocolate and coffee.”

Buying these products ensures that the workers involved in their making benefit from reasonable conditions. McGill Food and Dining Services has played a major role in monitoring that the standards for the products are respected in official McGill stores. EWB also oversees the standards of student-run stores, which include Snax in the Leacock Building, the Engineering Undergraduate Society store in McConnell, and Dave’s Store in Bronfman.

“We’ll also keep offering coffee days on Mondays and Fridays in the Adams building,” adds Hoch. Coffee days act as a fundraising activity for McGill EWB, among other annual events like their Valentine’s Day chocolate sale. These events also give students a chance to meet with members of the chapter.

Other involvement opportunities cover global engineering, youth engagement, and political advocacy. “We have a large body of 22 executives,” explain Adam Hasham, president of the McGill chapter. “A number of them are assigned to every subproject we sponsor to allow coordination. We also try to organize

panels on foreign aid and to invite guest lecturers.” Hasham has been particularly proud of the organization’s political achievements, which include passing bills in the House of Commons regarding transparency of Canadian foreign aid. “In 2008, collectively with other chapters, we managed to pass a bill to untie foreign aid spending, which was an important political success for us,” said President Adam Hasham.

The EWB also looks forward to the Run to End Poverty, another way to support the organization, which will take place on October 20. Runners can opt for a distance ranging from 5 to 40 kilometers. While the Montreal edition takes place on Mount Royal, multiple events are organized across Canada.

It is possible to sign up online and to upload your team’s information on the website.

Despite the abundance of activities, Wai acknowledges the organization’s struggles to attract volunteers from different backgrounds. “We’re in the process of rebranding to make EWB more accessible.” This feeling appears to be strongly shared within the organization, as the sentence “You don’t have to be an engineer!” can be quoted to all four members interviewed. “The word ‘engineer’ appears off-putting,” Chelala and Wai asserted, “as we saw at the orientation, but we want to create forums with other clubs and to reach out [to more] people.”

Executive members will be available on coffee days and can also be reached at mcgill@ewb.ca

Culture

The McGill Daily

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Monday, September 16, 2013

Where girls are free to rock out Rock Camp for Girls fights the music industry’s sexism Jacqueline Brandon | The McGill Daily

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hen Grimes’ Tumblr polemic against sexism in the music industry hit the web last spring, music commentators seemed shocked at her adamance. As she lamented the lack of professionalism among her male counterparts, and the misogynistic labels such as ‘waif ’ and ‘cute’ that some assigned to her, we witnessed yet another instance of an industry that is fraught with sexism. Female musicians have been echoing Grimes’ sentiment for years. Musicians who actively fight against the many faces of patriarchy in the industry, though, are only one piece of the puzzle. Rock Camp for Girls Montreal (RCGM), a place where girls aged 10 to 17 get together to learn and play music while learning about anti-oppression, reflects a more fundamental tactic for eradicating sexism through empowerment.

Co-founded in 2009 by two graduates of Concordia’s Simone de Beauvoir Institute (which studies feminisms and questions of social justice), RCGM started a five-day summer session that culminates in a concert. These summer sessions allow campers to showcase their newly acquired skills and perform original songs.

Rock Camp recently announced

plans to expand to also include an The camp’s structure and orafter-school Youth Choir program ganization mirrors the lessons throughout the year. The camp’s that it tries to convey to campers: main goals include teaching both among the volunteers, leadership the technical skills to play music positions are reserved for female, and the critical thinking tools trans*, and gender non-conformto navigate a male-dominated ing people. Hoping to set positive industry. Volunteers facilitate examples, Hardie mentioned that learning with musical instruction, “a lot of the volunteers who get as well as activities such as zine- involved in Rock Camp feel remaking and media literacy exer- ally strongly about this, because I cises. By acquiring these critical think it is something we wish we thinking tools, campers are more had growing up, navigating the able to dissect the lyrics of songs music scene as women.” in popular culture and critically Entirely self-funded and examine their musical role mod- volunteer-run for the past five els. RCGM is also remarkably ac- years, RCGM has previously only cessible in requiring no previous had the capacity to operate as a musical knowledge or experience, short-term summer camp. The or even ownership of a musical expansion into an after-school instrument – important features program presents an exciting for combating a scene that can be possibility for fostering commuquite exclusionary. nities that can be sustained and Heather Hardie, RCGM’s co- built upon. The program, which ordinator, said that, “By giving has thus far been pretty rooted in campers the space where there are the Mile End community, is hopno boys around, its amazing how ing to begin branching out and much a transformation happens increasing francophone enrollduring the course of the week.” In ment. RCGM definitely offers an regards to the camp’s decision to exciting promise for all young fecreate a space for female campers male musicians. only, Hardie stated that, “It’s imKeep an eye out for one of the portant because the music industry is very male-dominated, and to choir shows scheduled to take show female-identified youth that place later this fall. More informathere are women out there making tion can be found at girlsrockmontreal.org. music is important.”

The poster-boy of 21st century architecture Bjarke Ingels seeks to lead the industry into the future Hannah Yoken | Culture Writer

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am sitting on the steps of the fully packed Leacock 132, the largest lecture venue McGill has to offer. The crowd surrounding me sports excellent haircuts and flattering grandfather sweaters. People are lined up at the entrance, trying desperately to squeeze their way in. Why are we all here?

We’re here to admire Bjarke Ingels – the “extrovert starchitect” (as one of the many moderators of the talk puts it) behind the imaginatively named Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Tonight, Ingels is giving a talk called “Yes Is More” as part of the David J. Azrieli lecture series in architecture.

BIG has taken the world of architecture by storm. In the past ten years the company has designed over 20 projects and won more than a dozen notable architectural prizes.

BIG aims to innovate and explore using what the company refers to as “pragmatic utopian architecture.” The goal is to “steer clear of the petrifying pragmatism of boring boxes.”

What does this all mean? BIG’s past proj-

ects include condensing all aspects of Danish city life into one pavilion that can be navigated by bike, an apartment building that looks like a work of modern art, and a public park in Copenhagen that celebrates Danish multiculturalism. Their future plans are equally ambitious: a space needle in Phoenix, Arizona; the Danish Maritime Museum; cool high-rise buildings all across North America; and a waste-to-energy plant that can also be used as a ski slope/BMX course.

My first impression of Ingels is that he looks like a warped version of Tom Cruise circa Top Gun. It must be the combination of his luscious mane of hair and bulky leather jacket. His manner of speaking is humourous, with an air of uncensored Scandinavian frankness comparable to his countryman, director Lars Von Trier. A consummate professional, he warms up the audience with tales of corporate comedy, like when Ingels attempts to use his remarkable PowerPoint skills to demonstrate what New York City’s

shoreline might look like in the future while blasting Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind” in the background. Due to a glitch in the AV system, the song ends up sounding like a distorted jet plane taking off. The audience tries not to cringe. Ingels is not pleased.

For a company that prides itself on steering clear from boring boxes, most of the buildings BIG builds look confusingly similar. The tested and approved method seems to be to build pretty buildings that are slightly slanted. Also, most of these buildings are privately commissioned and financed, which goes against the socially conscious message BIG is trying to broadcast. Furthermore, what is an eco-friendly company doing building a space needle aimed solely at tourism? Ingels tries to convince the confused audience by stating that the project will be carried out as reasonably as possible.

Wouldn’t the most reasonable approach be to not build it in the first place?

Ingels’ talk is not solely about architec-

ture. He also judges the existing power relations in society, stating that though architects might not have power over physical or financial environments, they do possess the power of ideas. Ingels obviously has the power to do whatever he wants: he removed Edvard Eriksen’s “The Little Mermaid” statue, the most famous Danish landmark, and placed it in his exhibition pavilion in Shanghai for a while.

He also entered and won a competition to design the Danish Maritime Museum, even though his company’s design didn’t exactly match the competition’s initial requirement – BIG was sued by other companies who had stuck to the rules. Ingels’ attitude towards competitors and critics seems to be that people who have time for hate-blogging must not have much going for them.

There is no doubt that Ingels is an impressive speaker and innovator. But while he has been busy building an empire Ingels seems to have forgotten what it feels like to be anything less than a “starchitect” superstar.

The McGill Daily

Culture

17

Monday, September 16, 2013

The art of the selfie

Tomoko Sawada takes a passport photo

E

ven with over 1,600 photos of herself on the walls of Montreal, Arts Interculturels (MAI), Tomoko Sawada manages to get away with this repetitive self-portrayal without looking terribly narcissistic. In her exhibit, she takes a universal practice and turns it into art. Sawada fuses the ancient practice of portraiture and the new phenomenon of the #selfie, replicating the fusion 400 times.

The exhibit features Sawada’s iconic piece, ID400 (referring to the 400 different sets of photos), which were taken during Sawada’s university days. She starts fresh and bare in an overblown passport photo titled “Skinhead,” then begins to take on 400 different identities. Her artistic process, transforming her into a different character each time, legitimizes these 1,600 photos of herself.

“How does she do that?”

“It’s her face shape for sure.”

Two admirers measured their faces against Sawada’s to see if they could echo the illusion. With only her face and neck to work

Marianne Liu | Culture Writer with, Sawada transfers the exaggeratedly cute Japanese ‘kawaii’ style onto film. Despite the dignified black and white photos of the exhibit, there is a distinct lack of seriousness to the collection. Sawada’s characters are near cartoonish and clearly branded. Here is the goth.

Here is the cat lady. Here is the cheerleader – it’s almost a Japanese cosplay version of The Breakfast Club. Each character tries her best to be taken seriously – after all, these are passport photos, and no smiling is allowed – but comes off as awkward and funny.

Like a member of any clique, each twodimensional misfit is isolated and sticks to their own photo square without relating to any of the others. It’s hard to take anything away from any individual character; these are all stereotypes you have seen before.

However, although viewers may not remember any single character in the exhibit, they are sure to remember Sawada’s face as reflected by her entire collection. The cheeky aspect of ID400 is that Sawada subtly infuses you with her work, so that only

the amalgamation of forgettable faces stays in your memory.

Perhaps that is Sawada’s message: it is not about a single representation of an individual, but the entirety of their person. Everyone has endured the discomforting session of the passport photo. Frozen in one expression, there is little leeway left in communicating one’s individuality. Each photo may feature a different character, but they must all retain the same expression. Similarly, all 400 of Sawada’s personalities struggle to express themselves in the photos.

And what of Tomoko Sawada herself?

While her 400 identities may individually fail to stand out, the artist proves to be quite good at her work. Just by changing the direction of her bangs, Sawada can embody a whole new person. Still, out of the 400 different identities, there remains only one name. Sawada the artist is present in each of her photos. The two admirers did not wonder about the characters, but about how Tomoko Sawada portrayed these characters.

Yet, out of all the characters the artist has created, we cannot pinpoint a specific photo to portray the one true Sawada. In reality, these 400 different identities are not individual characters, but really facets of Sawada.

ID400 is a physical manifestation of the artist’s journey to self-discovery. Therefore, she combines the aim of portraiture – a realistic exploration of the self – with the aim of the selfie – a realistic exploration of the best personal angle.

ID400 seems to reflect the unspoken rule of carpe diem: we should not be confined within the square of a single photo. After all, no single image can give a complete portrayal of an individual. By repeatedly constraining herself to each of the characters she embodies, Sawada is recommending that we free ourselves from a limited photographic representation, because even a camera lens cannot sift through every part of who we are. After all, when asked what her inspiration was, Sawada herself replied, “I don’t know, really.”

The canal below the hill St. Henri’s history lives on Trevor Chinnick | Culture Writer

S

t. Henri is a Montreal district – nay, a Montreal institution – which has fought hard for its place in history. Shining through gentrification and modernity, the skeletons of a lost time can be seen throughout the neighbourhood, and heard through the voices of its people. As it continues to develop, its unique heritage and uncertain future come to clash, as it strives to move away from its working class roots.

Initial impressions of St. Henri may seem unceremonious at first. The weathered appearance of a laborious past is hardly hidden behind a thick layer of graffiti upon working class structures and poorly aged infrastructure. The AMT grumbles past, harkening to the freight trains which once commanded the ambiance of the town.

Originally located outside Montreal, St. Henri was established with St. Jacques’ desire to open a tannery in Montreal circa 1685.

Unfortunately for him, the process of leather tanning was deemed too disruptive for allowance within the city of Montreal. Undeterred, the master tanner picked a nearby area with an abundant water flow and close proximity to trading routes to begin his tannery. And so, St. Henri developed into a small artisanal community of leather tanneries, with a decidedly small population of 440. Its reputation as a tannery hotspot grew from here, even taking on the name “SaintHenri-des-Tanneries.”

St. Henri’s development would be driven by the bordering Lachine Canal. With trade being stymied by the impassable Lachine rapids, the canal’s completion in 1824 pro-

vided the first passageway into the upper St. Lawrence River. The area around the canal, especially St. Henri, became the centre of Canada’s industrial development as Montreal moved much of its rapidly growing industry sector from the downtown area into bordering factory suburbs.

It was during this industrial revolution that St. Henri grew into its working class demeanour – perhaps best characterized in Gabrielle Roy’s novel Bonheur d’occasion (The Tin Flute). Here, the sharp contrast between Westmount’s large stone mansions and St. Henri’s crowded and purpose-built abodes is depicted in its full glory.

St. Henri’s original town centre was unable to survive the era of mass development, but pieces of the historic Place Saint-Henri can still be seen at the intersections of St. Jacques and St. Henri. A majestic bank and impressive fire hall, built a year prior to its architectural twin the Atwater Market, stand stoic near the town’s centre.

Today, St. Henri remains a wonderful place deserving of a walk. The area has received more attention in the last decade or so with recent public investments in the Lachine Canal (and its designation as a National Historic Site of Canada) and the creation of Montreal’s first woonerf (living street) – a street giving pedestrians and cyclists priority over motorists, encouraging a public social space. The woonerf acts as a living museum, tracing the path of St. Henri’s main water artery, the St. Jacques’ river. The river was later turned into a canal, the path of which is marked by a treeline

Tamim Sujat | Photographer through the centre of the woonerf.

The abundance of public improvement throughout the area in general has grown as a new era of private interest in the area has developed. As one traverses the area, the large abandoned factories seem plentiful. A closer look at these seemingly decrepit factories will reveal coloured curtains, lovingly cared-for flowers, and freshly created paintings. A never ending battle seems to rage over preserving their past or creating their future.

The Saint-Henri Historical Society, as well as many residents of the area, want to preserve

these heritage buildings, against the wishes of developers who want to turn them into condos and trendy lofts.

St. Henri is undergoing a new type of revolution, from an old working class enclave to a vibrant Montreal centre. In an area known for its ability to overcome challenge, it now stands to do so in grand form.

Expensive loft space and younger residents are coming to define the new St. Henri, allowing the canal to reverberate with life once again while maintaining the cachet of its heritage.

The McGill Daily

18

Culture

Monday, September 16, 2013

The Daily reviews DIANA, Caro Emerald, Arctic Monkeys, and Hobo Cubes

DIANA – Perpetual Surrender Jagjaguwar / Paper Bag

Caro Emerald – The Shocking Miss Emerald Grandmono Records and Dramatico

Arctic Monkeys – AM Domino

Hobo Cubes – Rapid Glow Jeunesse Cosmique

With their recently released debut album Perpetual Surrender, Toronto-based band DIANA comes precariously close to being just another synth-pop group. They manage to save themselves by making it evident that not only do they also want to make people sway and bob their heads (and maybe even dance), they want to make people think. While parts of the album drag on unnecessarily and sound awfully close to H&M background music, the majority of it demonstrates both the group’s collective talent and broad abilities.

The first track, “Foreign Installation,” starts the album off strongly with a serious question accompanied by hazy synth backing, but goes on too long. As the album progresses, DIANA flirts with a few more upbeat dance tempos, while vocalist Carmen Elle continues to sing about chasing lies and wasting love. The title track best illustrates the band’s talents, with Elle’s voice carrying smoothly over the clean, if slightly over-produced, drum and synth rhythm; the saxophone solo also offers a refreshing change of pace.

The album flows well from song to song, even if some tracks are almost worth skipping or sound too similar to the ones they follow.

“Born Again” climaxes into an almost Marina and the Diamonds-like chorus, which DIANA manages to pull off in a way that isn’t too sugary-sweet but instead asks to be sung along or danced to. The second-to-last song on the album, “New House,” is the most mature, and shows that DIANA shouldn’t be given up on yet. “New House,” would probably have been a better finish to the album than “Curtains.”

While Perpetual Surrender may not introduce DIANA into the world as anything fantastically new, it does offer a positive glimpse into what could come from them in the future.

With her breakthrough single “Back it Up” and debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, Caro Emerald brought listeners a sound that seamlessly merged jazz, pop, and tango. Her second album, The Shocking Miss Emerald, doesn’t deviate from this style, even slightly.

Emerald’s sweet yet husky voice, following a varied, upbeat tempo, combines with masterful backing from her saxophonist to give the album a retro feel that is tinged with nostalgia for a time of Chevy Camaros, martinis, and men who wore hats to work, never ceasing to be light and fun. This is music to relax to, music to dance to, even music to laugh to.

There is real humour in her lyrics – “If playing with your string happens to be your thing,” she sings coyly to one gentleman during the hit song “Tangled Up.” Meanwhile, tracks like “Coming Back as A Man” maintain mildly feminist overtones. Here, Emerald describes how she plans to take on a more masculine identity, both by literally cross-dressing and then by reversing the typical romantic roles so that it is she who chooses and ensnares the man for a night of pleasure that he won’t forget. Moments like this bring an intellectual edge to these sweet-sounding tunes.

However, while the music is sexy and slinky, it never strips and scandalizes. Emerald has repeated the formula of her first album without variation. No artist wants to risk a sophomore slump, but by reproducing an already old-fashioned sound, this singer has begun to stagnate. The record has a lot to recommend it. Old fans looking for more of the same won’t be disappointed. Fans of Lana del Rey, Duffy, and Amy Winehouse looking to branch away from mainstream pop are sure to find a new heroine in Emerald. Ultimately though, there is nothing new here. The Shocking Miss Emerald? Not so much. The Consistently Enjoyable but Slightly Tired Miss Emerald seems more apt. Sadly, this doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.

Our lovely neighbours from across the pond have been providing us with quality alternative music for decades: The Kinks, Radiohead, Bloc Party, and the Libertines, to name a few. Another British export, Arctic Monkeys, recently released their fifth studio album AM. The album is undoubtedly their most sensual, as frontman Alex Turner croons cleanly and crisply, laying out lyrics like “If you like your coffee hot, let me be your coffee pot” and “There’s a tune I found that makes me think of you somehow, and I play it on repeat,” words that may cause Turner’s fangirls to spontaneously combust when sung over a heavy bassline.

The album begins with the single “Do I Wanna Know?,” a glammy beat-driven altrock anthem. Other songs, like “No. 1 Party Anthem” and “I Wanna Be Yours,” have a nostalgic air to them, the kind of sad Elton John song your parents play in the car.

Beware: many songs, like “Knee Socks,” score high on the ‘cheesiness scale,’ but are eloquently disguised by Turner’s, as some would call it, ‘cool factor.’

While listening to AM, the growth of the band’s sound is incredibly evident. Gone are the days of the grungy, underground Arctic Monkeys. Their new sound is clean and tight. The boys have traded their long messy hair for coiffed 1960s hairdos, and their jeans have been replaced by fitted suits. AM has a more sterile sound, not necessarily an improvement on their earlier efforts. It’s not impressive, but it’s enjoyable. AM may not be the next OK Computer (Radiohead acclaimed album), but it is good, nonetheless.

Hobo Cubes (a.k.a. Montrealer Francesco De Gallo) walks you through the intricacies of the mind in his new tape Rapid Glow. Francesco De Gallo is a serious beast of experimental electronic music. Not only is he the mastermind behind the Hobo Cult cassette label, but he also has an impressive list of bands and collaborations under his belt.

This album is a trip from the beginning.

The first track, “Phase Attraction,” transports the listener with arpeggiation that could be straight from an 1980s arcade game. The track to follow, “Subliminality Chamber,” has alien-sounding loops that endlessly rotate, punctuated by twinkling notes; the perfect entrance to such foreign territory. Hobo Cubes forms perfect relationships within Rapid Glow. The track “Infinity Pillow” is the perfect complement to its subsequent track “Therapy Vision.” The former lulls the listener into a comfortable state, mimicking slumber by washing over them with throbbing tones and constant reassuring hums. Towards the end of the track, crisper notes interrupt the sleep, which harmonize well with the alarmclock-like penetration of “Therapy Vision.”

Rapid Glow is not music to be shared with others. Its dreamy dissolving synths complemented with glitchy ebbing tones seem too personal to share. They are entirely individual. The flowing layers seem to emanate from the listener themselves, while those that pop along the surface feel like curious beeping robots. This album’s minimalistic approach and clean modular tones are tranquil but colourful, never allowing room for boredom.

It separates the body from the burden of its surroundings, and plunges it into a relaxing sensory experience.

-Lillian King

-Rachel Eban

-Sonya Peres -Lucy Gripper

Editorial

volume 103 number 3

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No cheers for rape culture

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Alice Shen | The McGill Daily

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ISSN 1192-4608.

Trigger warning: This editorial contains discussion of rape and rape culture.

S

ince the beginning of this academic term, rape culture has pervaded university campuses as chants promoting the rape of underage girls rang through Frosh events.

On September 4, Saint Mary’s University in Halifax made headlines when a video of Frosh featured students chanting, among other lines, “U is for underage” and “N is for no consent.” This was followed by an incident at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Commerce Frosh, where promotion of rape was integrated into almost identical Frosh chants.

At UBC, two Commerce Undergraduate Society executives have resigned due to the incident, and the University has suspended Commerce Frosh until positive change occurs. At Saint Mary’s, students and faculty reacted strongly – one graduate from the university has returned his degrees in protest, while the Saint Mary’s Women’s Centre held a rally that 200 students attended.

However, as Frosh comes to an end, so too will a vast majority of media attention to the issue of consent. The promotion of rape culture at Saint Mary’s and UBC are far from isolated cases of endorsing rape culture. Tolerance of rape culture will continue to permeate university campuses throughout the year, in more insidious ways than hard-to-ignore instances of literally encouraging rape.

Anti-consent chants work to normalize a culture of

sexual assault. Perhaps this is why, in a climate where at least one in four women in post-secondary education will experience sexual assault in their academic career, the majority of sexual assault on campuses and elsewhere goes unreported.

Anti-rape culture campaigns have long existed on campuses, including the Canadian Federation of Students’ 20-year-old “No Means No” campaign – and yet the chants still happen. Even though “no means no” and “consent is sexy” buttons have become increasingly visible on campuses in recent years, these initiatives are not without limitations. Anti-rape campaigns themselves focus on predominant notions of consent as a verbal event of yes or no rather than a continual process.

Over the past few years, Frosh organizers at McGill have tried to facilitate a more inclusive space for students by promoting equitable chants and implementing more sensitivity training for leaders; whether this has made a large impact or not remains to be seen. Groups such as the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS), the Union for Gender Empowerment, and Rez Project, among others, continue to actively inform the campus community of the issues of rape culture and how it is perpetuated both in obvious and discreet ways.

As mainstream media attention wanes, McGill must remain aware and vigilant of the ways this type of language condones an acceptance of sexual assault.

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—The McGill Daily Editorial Board

Compendium!

The McGill Daily

20

Monday, September 16, 2013

Lies, half-truths, and hell

Rankings drop, portal to hell appears on lower field Demons making “snide comments” about McGall’s global standing Heaven Sent | The McGall Weekly

M

cGall University campus, already reeling from the news that they had dropped three spots in the 2013 QS Totally Arbitrary University Rankings, was dealt another blow when a gigantic, almost-volcanic pit was discovered on Lower Field in front of the Sadpath Museum of Old Stuff in the Ground. An exploratory party of all 20 post-graduate geology students was sent out; two returned and told McGall Weekly reporters that it was a “portal to hell, smoking and smelling of sulfur, ringed with the blood of children.”

Demons are reportedly flying out of said pit, terrorizing large lecture-style classes, making snide comments about the university’s lack of school spirit, and stealing research opportunities and flying them to higher ranked universities. The demons have also been accused of disrupting job interviews of recent McGall grads by loudly discussing the university’s drop in quality, and, most notably, harvesting human souls from students and using them to empower Satan in his quest to wage war against God and retake Heaven.

Professors in McGall’s Department of Religious Item Analysis were quick to point out that this development was not unexpected, due to the aforementioned drop in the Arbitrary Rankings. L.N. Ate Ken, Associate Professor in the department, released a public statement after the rankings slip that, “The Bible has foretold that once the great school in the North falls behind the one slightly further South, and in a large urban area, the school of the North would lose their smug sense of superiority over the school from the South and be plagued by Satan himself.” Ate Ken went on to explain that “[researchers] originally thought this was something about the Holy Land, or something, but it’s pretty clear now that Hell on Earth has come to McGall campus due to our drop in rankings. May

Malice Shins | The McGall Weekly God have mercy on our souls.”

Satan himself later rose out of the pit, and held court with McGall Weekly reporter Dan A. Ray. “Listen, there’s a real estate phrase that’s really key here: location, location, location,” Satan said. “When you get a resodded field at Canada’s second best university, you just can’t pass that kind of thing up.”

Satan further went on to explain the attractiveness of McGall campus in comparison to its main competitors, the University of T-Dot and the University of Brattish

Chrysanthemums: “Well, [the other campuses] were a little cramped. Not to mention their student to faculty ratios were actually getting lower, and, well, low student to faculty ratios are like upside down crosses to us: we stay away. Their rankings are increasing too, while McGall has this beautiful field and a lowering rank. McGall made the key decision to cut smaller classes in the Arts faculty, which shot that student-faculty ratio way up. So, when I talked over the decision with [key advocate] Margaret [Wente], it was clear where

we had to go.”

After the interview, Ray briefly mentioned that Satan was “pretty chill,” despite the destruction he and his kin are continuing to wreak upon campus.

Student reaction has been unilaterally negative. “With this drop in the rankings, what will employers see my degree as?

Worthless?” read one meacocks.com piece.

Later in the piece, the author continued: “Oh yeah, I mean, I guess my soul is in danger of being feasted upon by demons, but, wait: what does this mean for my future?”

Ask The Weekly On getting over it and finding another pasta bar Dear Weekly, My boyfriend and I have had a fairytale romance ever since we met at the specialty pasta counter in the New Rez cafeteria.

Well, I mean, I guess we met at Tokyo the Thursday before, but that just isn’t as good a story, you know? So anyway, pasta counter. I mean, we got the same penne in vodka sauce, so of course I knew right then.

Anyway, it’s been almost a year, and instead of planning our first anniversary dinner at Juliette et Chocolat, I’m spending every night in my Lorne and Milton apart-

ment crying over stupid university ratings.

Yeah, ratings. Because ever since the University of Toronto beat out McGill as the top school in Canada, my perfect boo-boo has stopped paying attention to Sucka Free Mondays themes and “fuckin’ ‘chel [NHL video games] brah.”

I heard him telling his mother on the phone, “Those Toronto girls just seem smarter these days.” I even caught him looking longingly at a U of T course catalog the other day, at those pictures of people studying under trees. It feels like

he doesn’t think I’m up to his intellectual standards anymore, even though I’m always the one who knows how much to tip the bartender at Gert’s on Thirsty Thursdays, and he’s the one who gives a dollar no matter what he’s ordering.

What can I do to keep from losing him?

—Weeping into my fleur-de-sel brownie Dear Weeping, You know what? Your perfect boo-boo is probably gonna hitch a ride on one of those demons flying out of the pit on lower field and

fly off to Toronto with the last pieces of both your and McGall’s broken spirits. You’ll eat that tear-soaked brownie but you’ll move on.

The thing you gotta remember is that there’s more than one residence hall speciality pasta bar out there. I mean metaphorically speaking. You probably don’t want to revisit the rez cafs if at all possible, especially if you’re scoping out dudes. Learn to let that New Rez relationship die a peaceful death and set your sights on higher things, like a more globally recognized university.

—The Weekly